Paper clip board



Sept. 4-, 1951 F, P. ROBBlNs 2,566,465

PAPER CLIP BOARD Filed June '7. 1949 p l J 5 @JQ; %MW% 5 between the members.

Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER. CLIP BOARD Frederick P. Robbins, Highland Park, Ill.

Application June 7, 1949, Serial No. 97,633

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a clipping device and more particularly to a clip board or the like retainer for sheet material provided with a novel form of ball bearing clip.

The clipping device of the present invention is particularly adapted to maintain a plurality of sheet-like members in assembled relation, such as for retaining a plurality of sheets of paper in position upon a backing surface. The device includes a pair of cooperating clamping elements urged together into clamping relation by resilient spring means. More specifically, the clamping members are provided with registering recessed or apertured portions adjacent one end of each of the members, the recesses receiving a pivot member, such as a ball bearing, interposed Resilient means, such as resilient clamping springs, are provided to urge the clamping members together into clamping relation about the pivot members interposed therebetween.

Clipping devices generally similar to those above described have been known in the prior art, and various means have been proposed for opening the clamping members from clamping relation against the action of the resilient clamping spring. However, the prior art devices have suffered from various shortcomings, including relatively great overall length, clumsiness in use, and the necessity of exerting considerable force to open the clamping members from engagement.

The present invention now specifically remedies these faults of the prior art clipping devices by providing an improved opening means for such devices. In general, such opening means may suitably comprise a lever carried by one of the clamping elements for pivoted movement relative thereto and having an elongated lever arm for movement in contact with one of the clamping members to provide a mechanical advantage for easily opening the clamping elements. Actually, the opening of the clamping elements is accomplished by movement of the lever arm about the pivot member as a fulcrum against the action of the clamping spring, the mechanical advantage thus obtained aiding considerably in opening the device. 6

In one embodiment of the clipping device of the present invention, movement of the opening lever about its pivot point against the action of the clamping spring causes engagement between a shoulder formed on the opening lever and one of the clamping elements to lift or other- :wise move the one clamping element from engagement with that clamping element by which the lever is pivotally carried. In this embodiment of the invention, the opening lever is capable of sufficient pivoting movement to wedge a portion of the opening lever between the open clamping elements so that the resilient spring means urges the clamping members into wedged engagement with the opening lever shoulder to maintain the clamping elements in open position. Upon return pivoting movement of the opening lever, the clamping elements are again placed in clamping relation.

In the other embodiment of the present invention, the clamping lever is pivotally attached to one end of one of the clamping elements and is capable of pivoting movement relative to that clamping member, so that the opening lever is effectively an extension of the clamping member, and movement of the opening lever against the action of the resilient spring means causes opening of the clamping members from clamping relation.

Each of the two embodiments of the clipping device of the present invention are readily adapted to form a clip board or the like, one of the clamping members serving as a backing surface for sheet material and the other clamping members being urged into clamping relation with the sheet material thereon. Thus the clip board backing surface itself serves as one element of the clamping device.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide an improved, easily employed, inexpensive form of clipping device equipped with opening means.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved ball bearing clipping device, one of the clamping elements of the device serving as a backing member therefor with the bearing elements of the device being seated within complementary recesses formed in the backing member and in the other clamping element, one of the clamping elements also pivotally carrying an opening lever for urging the clamping elements from clamping engagement.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide an improved ball bearing clipping device including a pair of cooperating clamping elements, means urging the elements into clamping relation, and means pivotally carried by one of the clamp-ing elements for urging the elements from clamping relation against the action of the resilient spring.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparentfrom. the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan elevational view of a'clipping device of the present device;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the plane IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing the clamping elements of the device in openpositionf Figure 4 is a plan elevational view "of a modi fied form of clipping device of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken alo'ng'theplane V-V of Figure 4; and V I Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the clamping elements in openfpo'sitionl" As shown on the drawings:

erally to a clipping device of the present invention including" a pair of' coo'perat'ing clipping i 'e'le'' 'mentsll and l2.

' The element 4 i may desirably'take the form of a p-la'ne she'etcf metal', plastic, wood or fibrous matenial capable-of serving as a backingelement of a c'li oard'br the like. The clamping element I2 is iormed of-a similar suitable "sheet material and' is provided with a terminal downturned flange qB 'at bhe en'd thereof, generally rectangular central -slot' Hi, and a downturned flange l5 adjacent-the other end thereof. Thedownturned flange i5 is provided with a terminal; outturned endpertion it.

A plurality of spaced bearing elements, preferably in theform of a ball bearing ii, are interposed-betweenthe clamping elements ll and H, the bearings Il 'being maintained in position between the elements H and i2 by means of complementary reoesses or-dished portions i8 and FQ'formed-in thememb'ers H and i-fz respectively. If desired; the recesses ls and ls may be provided by-apertures extending through the members H and 2,-'-re'spe'ctively, and o'f a diameter considerably less than that of the ball bearings 11. The members i l and i2 are urged into clamping relation by means of resilient springs '25; preferably' in'the form of slit, cylindrical, resilient sleeves en'gagingthe members Hand" |2 inwardly "of the recesses" |8'and it respectivel'ygand encirclingthe adj a'cent ends of the members H "and I2 and the bearings H.

An opening lever 2| is provided for urging the members i! and iZ-from their clamped position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The lever 25 includes 7 an elongated, slightly arouate lower portion 22 interposed between'the members H and I2 and having oppositely directed, outwardly extending upper shoulders 23 for engaging the inner suriaces-Of the member l2. The clamping member H is provided with a plurality of spaced recesses 24 formed in the upper surface thereof for re ceiving depending projections 25 formed-"inte- 'grally with the lever M. The lever 'arm 26' .is provided centrally of the lever 25 to extend upwardl'y through the aperture i i of the clamping member l2, the lever arm 26 being "offset-as at 27 to overlie the upper surface of the member 12.

The operation of the clipping device" land 7 the opening'of 'the clamping elements Hand l2 will be understoodfrom Figures -'2 and-.3 .of the the under surface'tf the member willcaus'e P 5 30 with the movement of theclamping members taking place about the ball bearing It will be seen from Figure 3 that the resilient action of the spring 20 when the clip is open will merelyurge the members H and I2 into tighter wedging engagement with the shoulder 23 of the lever 2| and the clip cannot be closed by the 7 action of the spring when in the open position of Figure 3. The clamping members II and I2 are "thus maintained in open position so that sheet material28 may be inserted therebetween the 'sheetrmateri'a'l being clamped between the dependent flange '13 of the member l2 and the 7 upper plane surface of the member upon re- In Figure 1, reference numeral l0 refersgen- Figure 2.

turn movement of thelever to the position or In the embodiment of theinvention shown in Figure ej'referenc'enumeral 39 refers generally to a modified form' of clipping device including a pair of cooperating clamping elements 3| and u formed-"orsuitable material as hereinbefore described inconnection with the embodiment of Figures '1-"3. I

' The c'la'mp'ih'g element 3| is similar in design and construction with the element H as herein- 30 before'describem the element 3| being provided with a"r'ec'ess 33similarto the" recess I8. The clamping member"32"-' is *provided with a downturned 'flange 3 3 similarto the flange "15 of the element l2; the fiange '34' terminating at a, ter- 35 minal'portiorr35 recess'ed as at 86." A ball bearing 37; similar td'the bearing I1, is interposed between the members 3| and 32 in seated engagement with the recesses 33 Sand 36. A spring '38, similar to the spring 29; i provided to en- 40 circle thebal-l'bearingfl and the adjacent ends of the members 3| and 32.

'Ihatend of the clamping member 32 opposite the terminal portion 35' is secured to a cover 'member 39bf the same general configuration "as 4 5 the base member 3i and coextensive therewith.

The'hingeconnection of the member 39 to the' member-'32'includes alternate deformed portions 40 and 4| formedintegrally with the members 32 and-39'respect'ively. The deformed portions ec and 41 "encircle a hinge pin 42 passing centrallytherethroug'h and coextensive with the width of the members 32 and 39. The member 39 when the solid line'po'sition shown in Figure 5 ov er1ies the sheet material 43 supported by the upper planeisurface ofthe-member 3| and 5 maybe pivoted iabout the pin 42 to lie against the clampingmember 'tz with further movement 'of the cover :me'mber- J39 causing movement of the member 32 about the-bearing 311against the-action oflthespring 38 to remove the memioers 3'f and '32 if-rom' clamping engagement;

It will;' ofcourse be"understood that various details ofconstr'uctiom may be varied through. a wide range 'witho ut-tdepartir'ig..from the princi ples of-th'is invention and it is, therefore; inot 7 the purpose to limitithecpatent grantedihereonr otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A clipping device comprisin a backing member having a first recess formed adjacent one end thereof and another recess adjacent thereto, a clamping element overlying said one end of said backing member and normally extending into contact therewith in spaced relation to said first recess, a bearing member interposed between said backing member and said clamping element and seated in said first recess, said clamping element having a slot therein overlying said second recess, resilient means enclosing said bearing means and acting on said backing member and said clamping element to urge the same into contact, and an elongated lever havin one end pivotally seated in said second recess and an opposing end portion projecting through the slot formed in said clamping element into normal surface engagement with said clamping element, said lever having integral shoulders intermediate its length for slidably engaging portions 6 of said clamping element on the sides of said slot, said lever being pivotal with respect to said backing member and said clamping element toward a plane aligned with said second recess and normal to said backin member for retaining said clamping element in open position.

FREDERICK P. ROBBINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

